Land of the Over
by Writers-Masquerade
Summary: Once upon a time, all which I really desired was to set my people free from the dismal land that was theirs. It's limited landscape only strengthened our desires for this fabled Land of the Over. For a long time, the Land of the Over was mere fiction to us. Something that we would tell our children. Until one day...
1. Chapter 1- After a Long Day's Work

_**Author Note:** "The author plays Minecraft on 1.7.10, and that is where/when this story takes place. So, sorry, no rabbits for now. Although I do hope you enjoy what the author has in store for you, anyway ^^ This was inspired by one of her own Minecraft builds!"_

_ X14, of Half-Moon. Moonlight._  
_ They are destroying everything! The people... the towns...! They have plundered everything from this beautiful world! _  
_ They just couldn't share, could they?_  
_ Once upon a time, all which I really desired was to set my people free from the dismal land that was theirs. It's limited landscape only strengthened our desires for this fabled Land of the Over. For a long time, the Land of the Over was mere fiction to us. Something that we would tell our children. _  
_ Until one day..._

-Chapter 1: After a Long Day's Work-

The sun was going down. I had to move fast!  
My ironclad body was getting weaker as exhaustion crept over me. I hopped along the cubic landscape in the direction of my small cabin, which I could just barely see over the hill. The grass swayed beneath me, and the trees rustled next to me as the evening chill swept in over the land.  
Almost there.  
I panted, letting my lungs get used to the fresh air while they could. Being so deep under the ground was stifling. You wouldn't believe how it was at lava level. Even though it had paid off greatly.  
I could hear moaning from just over the hill.  
Made it!  
I rushed through my door and slammed it shut just as the moonlight glinted off of pure white bones, appearing just from around a tree. I heard the skeleton rattle as it moved without muscles.  
I slowly walked into the first room of my house, found a seat, and plopped myself down into it, my iron armor clanging as I did so. As if the clang was a call, I heard a bark from the other room. Turning to face the direction of my bedroom, I saw a large white streak heading from the doorway to me. Up into my lap lept Bayonet, my dog and my friend. No matter where I was, if I needed help he would be there at my defense. The wolf licked at my face, looking very happy to see me, despite how dirty I was. I stroked his fur, telling him "Hey, boy! Hey, little buddy! What was happening while I was gone, huh?" He just wagged his tail and looked up at me with huge brown eyes.  
Suddenly, Bayonet started to wave his nose in the air as if he sensed something. His nose wandered to my hip pouch, before he paused, looking back up at me, wagging his tail faster. His tail made swishing noises against the floorboards. I laughed, taking my pouch off to reach into it and pull out a piece of raw beefsteak I was saving for him. The merchant in the nearest village was so kind as to give it to me - for a piece of my finest pay-off from all of the work I had done underground.  
The corners of Bayonet's mouth turned slightly upwards as if into a smile as I held out the chunk of meat. He sniffed it for a second before taking it from my hand. I smiled as he laid at my feet, chewing his meal.  
After a moment, I decided I had had enough rest and should put away what I had gathered from the mines this time. Hauling myself up, I wandered over to the other part of this room. I looked down at my pouch again, taking it out once more. I opened one of the large storage chests in front of me, then reached into my carrying pouch. I took a hold of an entire stack of cobblestone, taking it out and placing it into the chest, then a few stacks of iron and gold ores. I would smelt them down later. Then the big prize, one big, shining emerald. I would have had two, but I had to feed my dog.  
Just as I was closing the chest, I heard a loud bang outside. Bayonet starting barking. I reached up and drew my sword, going back to the front room. A wandering, hungry zombie had apparently sensed that I was of the living and decided to drop by for a bite. He pounded his broken and bony fists against my door, trying to get at it's potential snack. I always had to be careful when fighting off this kind, for if they tear my flesh with so much as a sharp piece of the armor of their former selves, I could become as one with them.  
I paused, watching it's movements carefully. It would swing it's decayed body backwards, rearing it's arms and fists, and then suddenly lurch forward against my door, it's pounding almost as loud as Bayonet's barking. I counted the seconds. I had to do this right.  
On the very second that the zombie heaved it's carcass forward to pound on my door, I reared back and struck the door with my foot, kicking it open. The door smashed into the monster with so much force that it flew backwards. Just as luck would have it, the skeleton from earlier was still out there. As it saw my door open, it notched an arrow to it's thin bowstring and quickly shot. Instead of going at me, the arrow pierced itself through the skull of the zombie, destroying it instantly. I had my door closed and tightly bolted before the skeleton could fire another shot.  
I leaned against the door frame, still tired from the day's work. I wandered over to the bedroom, carefully removing my armor and placing it beside the bed. My chestplate was cracked in many places. So were my boots. I scratched my sweaty back, sitting down on top of the mattress. I lifted up the bright red blanket, laying down under it with a sigh. Bayonet jumped up and lay down next to me. He shed, and my bed was covered in thick wolf hair, but I didn't care.


	2. Chapter 2- Arachnophobia

-Chapter 2: Arachnophobia-

The next day, Bayonet and I had just gotten done with our small breakfast, when the surge of adventure came to me again. I wanted to return to the caves that I had explored yesterday and possibly find myself some more riches. So, with the sun still rising in the sky, I gently told my pet to stay at home. "I'll be home by nightfall," I promised him. He still looked up at me with the sad look that many dogs wear. I grinned, scratching his neck and then saying, "Look, I'll stay home all day tomorrow if you need some company." At this, he licked my face. I smiled at him once more before giving him one good "be a good boy" and leaving the house.  
Because it was on the way to the mines, I decided to stop and maybe get a good start at the local tavern. I looked up at the weathered sign above my head that read, "Allondare Tavern." I briefly made a sarcastic comment under my breath about the originality of the owner, before pushing aside one of the doors and stepping inside.  
"Any visi- oh, it's only you, Steve!" was my greeting.  
"Joseph!" I replied to the keeper with his name and a friendly smile.  
"I haven't seen you in here, lately. What have you been up to?"  
"What do you mean by 'up to'?" I sighed, "My time has been occupied by making repairs to my house and trying not to die,"  
"What else is new?" Joseph grunted, "Will you be ordering anything?"  
"I'll just have the Valo, if you still sell it," Valo is a non-alcoholic drink that is a bit on the spicy side.  
"As I've said, what else is new?" Joseph smiled again from under his nose.

Once my glass was empty, I paid Joseph with a small golden nugget and then set out again. By now, any trace of the dawn was gone and it was mid-morning. I had plenty of time.  
Reaching the mines, I looked down into the yawning cave with my pickaxe in one hand, and a torch in the other. I made sure that my sword was at the ready in case of a certain surprise attack. I took one last breath of fresh air before I began to climb down into the crevice, which did look more and more intimidating the further down I looked. My feelings ignored my experience with this cave and I automatically became more aware, and more tense. At that moment, the slightest sound of a pebble bouncing off of the cave wall would have set me off, attacking invisible enemies for the sake of self-preservation. I was a cautious sort of guy.  
As soon as my feet hit the rock floor, a musty heat enveloped me. I was and am still unable to cover up the large pool of lava that was only a little ways away from where I was standing. I remember falling into it once... although it must have been just a very vivid dream because I had woken up shortly after in my own bed. With Bayonet's paw over my face of course.

With torch in hand, I set off down the narrow crevice, walking ahead knowing that I had mined this area out. I wanted to head towards where a fork was in the paths, for I had ignored one side for the sake of exploring the other. It was a worthy sacrifice although there is always the chance that the other side held more riches.  
I lazily swung my heavy pickaxe at my side, doing it without thinking while still concentrating on not stabbing myself in the leg. And as I did so, a hiss from behind startled me into dropping my pick. Cursing that the echoing clang that the tool made would alert other enemies, I whirled around, drawing my sword from it's sheath at my hip. With it's eyes glowing bright red and a green ooze overflowing from it's fangs and dripping onto the floor, a giant and hideous spider scuttled towards me, it's furry legs clacking against the rock. I raised my sword into the air as it sprang at me, fangs raised. I slashed, a little too early. I managed to give it a shallow wound along it's abdomen, making it rear back.  
It was then that I noticed the shape of the arachnid. It was somehow different from the spiders that I would find on the surface. This one was a little bit smaller, and it's body seemed to have a green or blue hint to it. Before I could think on it farther, it lept again. This time I stabbed forward, shoving the long blade deep through it's carcass, splitting it in two. It gave a final shriek, and then collapsed onto the ground, twitching violently until it died.  
Still disturbed by the simple fact that spiders still twitch around moments after they die, and also curious about this one's unusual appearance, I stepped back over to where my pickaxe had landed when it slipped from my hand and picked it up. I looked it over for any damage before slinging it over my shoulder and continuing the walk.

Before I could walk very far, another hiss disturbed my thinking, and, looking ahead, I saw another pair of brightly glowing red eyes ahead of me. Wondering if it was another one of the other spider's kind, I flashed the torch in it's direction. Sure enough, the figure that the light revealed was rather small and dark blue in color. It reared back from the sudden exposure to light, before it attacked. I wasn't quick enough with defending, and it sunk one of it's fangs into my leg. I yelped and threw it back with a whack from my pickaxe. I held the wound, both blood and the substance from the creature's fangs were dripping from it. I momentarily ignored the pain when the large spider lept at me again. I sliced forward with the blade and split it's head open, killing it instantly. I waited for it to stop it's spasms before I dared to move around it.  
The pain from my leg was spreading up along my body by now. And so was panic. A sudden uneasy feeling gripped at my stomach, and my vision blurred slightly. Unable to stop myself, I bent over and vomited. Rising afterwards, my eyes watering, I shook my head and wondered if continuing the exploration was a good idea after all. Deciding that I still had plenty of time before I had to start for home, and that my characteristic call for adventure shouldn't be betrayed, I took a few steps forward. The expected pain did not come, and I was surprised. My leg was still bleeding and the wound still hurt, but I felt suddenly better.  
Once again my attention was turned forward by a hiss. My surprise grew once more as I began to hear a series of hisses and clatters ahead of me._ Just how many of these things are down here?_ I asked myself. Curious fool that I am, I continued to venture forward to discover where this strange new species was coming from.


End file.
